Artificial intelligence and machine learning

At their heart, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are powerful new analytical technologies that enhance our ability to design and manage the built environment in ways that meet human needs and deliver net zero goals.

As thinkers and makers, mathematics and advanced analysis have always informed our approach to design – from physical tolerances to daylight levels to energy-efficiency and countless other considerations.

So in Arup, we have brought AI/ML into the heart of our work. We have developed our own machine learning and AI-powered tools, for example to chart new pathways to net zero for whole cities, to understand better the lifespan of assets and the causes of failure, or to design complex buildings with new materials and reduced carbon.

The machine learning algorithms we develop tap into the full power of big data and advanced analytics, providing our clients with new options and solutions: the building that can predict when maintenance is needed; the railway system that understands when weather-related landslips are a risk; the water company purification plant that learns how to produce cleaner water using less energy.

AI and ML are exciting and powerful technologies, capable to helping you move in new directions. And you can start small, with a proof of concept built by our team, before scaling up to operationalise the power of AI/ML within your organisation.

Bring the full power of AI into your business

Machine learning and artificial intelligence tools now have the potential to bring significant and practical benefits to the world of the built environment. To do this, our development process has four stages: we listen to your business requirement; we investigate how your business’s disparate data sources could produce new insights and value. Then we create powerful AI/ML-based solutions that provide new insight and options that bring significant value to your work; and we work to ensure these are understood and bring real benefit to your organisation. The most effective investments in AI and ML are always a collaboration between the human, the digital and the physical.

Next generation, intelligent infrastructure

Much of the today’s world relies on systems only incrementally improved since the first industrial revolution. We believe that machine learning and artificial intelligence can reshape the operation and outcomes across the infrastructure sector – from water and drainage systems to the energy grid and transport networks. AI/ML’s ability to synthesise insights from vast quantities of previously unrecorded data, will lead to greater energy efficiency, better use of resources, the ability to predict everything from the effects of weather to user behaviour.

Find out how we are helping Northern Ireland Water to use machine learning in its water purification systems, leading to optimised operation and greater confidence in drinking water safety.